James Woods On Clint Eastwood's Retirement

Actor James Woods posted this today at X:

Arizona Was Home To These Iconic Western Movies

Above, Monument Valley's West and East Mittens. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Living just 40 miles from the New Mexico/Arizona border on Interstate 40 has some great advantages. I can visit places in nearby states where classic westerns were filmed.

The region is best known as Four Corners, wherein four states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah) meet up.

Over the years, the Four Corners has been home to many movie locations and sets. Monument Valley and Old Tucson come immediately to mind. I have been to both. Monument Valley straddles the Arizona/Utah border.

Above, a familiar hotel and saloon set at Old Tucson Studios. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

AZCentral posted a list of movie sets used in westerns.

They begin with:

From shootouts and saloons to barren desert landscapes and iconic red rocks, Arizona has been home to some of the most memorable scenes in Western films.

Many Old West movies, from "Stagecoach" and "Tombstone" to "The Outlaw," were filmed at locations you can still visit today. Stars from John Wayne and Kurt Russel to Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra have also graced the Grand Canyon State filming locations.

While some of the sets have been adapted for tourists, other stops remain exactly the same.

So are you in the mood for a walk down memory lane? Here are Western film sets you can visit in Arizona.

To read more, go here. 

Route 66 and Hollywood Movies & TV Shows

Above, Route 66 in Williams, Arizona. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This year is the centennial of Historic Route 66.  

Fox 8 of Cleveland has posted an article on Route 66 and Hollywood focusing on movies and TV shows that captured the mystique of the road. 

It begins with:

(NEXSTAR) — It’s one of the U.S.’ most well-known roads — if not the most known — and one of few highways to capture America’s imagination across the little and big screens.

In honor of its 100th anniversary, here are some of the films and TV shows that have taken inspiration from Route 66, or even been filmed on parts of it.

To read more, go here. 

5 Iconic Movie Locations For RVers To Explore

Above, yours truly in Monument Valley, famous for several John Wayne/John Ford movies.

Over the years, being a movie fan, I have been interested in movie locations. 

The movies can be of any genre or no genre at all. In fact, I published The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan that features movie locations and giant monster attractions. 

RV Travel has posted an article on five iconic movie locations for RVers to explore and nearby campgrounds.

They begin it with:

I love movies! I love visiting actual movie locations, too!

Here are five great movie sites to visit. You’ll also discover nearby activities and attractions that will make your RV “movie trip” well worth your time. Ready? Action!

To see what they are, go here.

Chuck Norris, R.I.P.

 

F & S: The Best and Worst Hollywood Shootouts

Above, Paul Newman and Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Gun shootouts have been a part of motion pictures practically from the beginning of the silent era.

While shootouts are a staple in westerns, war movies and cop movies, some of them are better than others even though they are unrealistic.

Field & Stream posted what they consider the best and worst Hollywood shootouts.

They begin with:

I’ve been a moviegoer since 1946 and have seen a great many films since then—war movies, westerns, thrillers. When I could, I would checked up with how realistic they were with combat veterans or police. The vets and cops, to a man, described movie violence as “pure bs.”

Looking for something more detailed, I asked a friend of mine who is a retired street cop, watch commander, and chief of detectives, for his opinion of Hollywood shootouts. He wrote: “None of them are like real life. Police shootings are fast, short, and violent. When I see movies like the Matrix series, John Wick, and Heat, I am in awe of the volume of bullets unleashed and how anyone could survive without getting shot. No one could run through those hailstorms of lead and not get hit. Every bad guy shooting can’t be that bad a shot.”

So, what I’ve done here is highlight three of the most unrealistic shootouts, and three that have a game-changing degree of reality to them. We will never see completely accurate gunplay in the films; it’s over too quick. That’s why the gunfight at the OK Corral, which has been filmed who knows how many times, must always include some added nonsense in order not to leave the viewers feeling cheated and angry.

To read more, go here. 

Toho Steps Out Into the World With New Confidence

Above, Toho Studios in the Setagaya section of Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Two years ago, Godzilla Minus One won an Academy Award for Special Effects, the first Japanese movie to accomplish this.

Toho Co., Ltd. is hoping that lightning will strike twice as they are pushing for another Academy Award. They are doing so with new confidence this time. 

According to Nikkei Asia:

TOKYO -- The COVID pandemic may be long over but Americans have yet to resume going to the movies nearly as often as they used to. Could a three-hour, subtitled, behind-the-scenes drama about the careers of two Kabuki actors turn things around?

Hiroyasu Matsuoka thinks it is worth a shot. Toho, the Japanese entertainment and real estate company he heads, put on a week of showings of "Kokuho," Japan's most popular local live-action movie in decades, in Los Angeles and New York in November ahead of a planned general release next month that is to reach at least 100 screens across North America.

Virtually every one of the November screenings sold out. Actor Tom Cruise kicked off one Los Angeles showing by telling the audience, "This is a very, very special movie, and one that you must see on the big screen."

Next week, Matsuoka and Toho will learn whether "Kokuho," Japan's official nominee, has been shortlisted for the Academy Award for best international feature film. Two years ago, he and the company celebrated "Godzilla Minus One" becoming the first Japanese movie to win the Oscar for best visual effects.

To read more, go here. 

"Godzilla Minus Zero" Opens November 6

Above, the teaser poster for Godzilla Minus Zero.

Two Godzilla movies are on the horizon. One from the U.S. (Legendary Pictures) will arrive in 2027 and one from Japan (Toho Co., Ltd.) this year.

The Legendary Pictures feature is titled, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova and the Toho feature is titled, Godzilla Minus Zero.

According to Variety:

“Godzilla Minus Zero,” the upcoming sequel to the successful “Godzilla Minus One,” will open in North America on Nov. 6 from Toho and GKids. The release comes just three days after the Japanese release, which Toho says is a rare near-simultaneous bow for a Japan-produced Godzilla movie.

The Nov. 3 Japanese release marks the same day the original “Godzilla” opened in theaters in 1954, now observed as Godzilla Day. “Godzilla Minus One” also opened Nov. 3 in Japan in 2023, going on to become the highest-grossing Japan-produced Godzilla film and winning the Oscar for visual effects.

To read more, go here. 

Brigitte Bardot and Guns

Above, Bardot with a Winchester 94 in Viva Maria! (1965).

Brigitte Bardot had an interesting and varied life. She went from sexpot to an advocate of animal rights. 

During her movie career, she used varied guns in her movies, from pistols to rifles. Interestingly, in one of her movies, Shalako (1968) she used a Single Action Army revolver. Shalako is most noted as a western starring Sean Connery.

In Gun Culture (laststandonzombieland), several photos of Bardot with weaponry are shown. 

They start off their post with:

With the passing of the late, great Brigitte Bardot (1934-2025), who held spicy takes about various religions and was a champion of animal rights, it is perhaps fitting to note her work in steel over the decades, particularly in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

To read and see more, go here. 

Passages

For some odd reason, we seem to get an uptick in celebrity deaths during the month of December. This year is no exception.

There are two notable passings that should be mentioned.

Above, Gil Gerard.

First is Buck Rogers himself, Gil Gerard, who starred in the 1979-81 television series, Buck Rogers In The 25th Century. He passed away from cancer on December 16 at 82.

Above, Bob Burns.

Bob Burns, actor, but is better known as a big collector of movie props, consultant, producer, archivist and movie historian, costumes, and other paraphernalia from science fiction, fantasy, and horror motion pictures. He passed away at age 90 on December 16.

I Thought You Were Dead

 

Bela Lugosi's Greatest Role...Wasn't Dracula!

Bela Lugosi's Greatest Role...Wasn't Dracula! by Antonia Carlotta.

Summary:

Son of Frankenstein could have just been another sequel, but instead, thanks to Lugosi, it became a showcase for one of horror’s most underrated performances, and it helped create a film that almost holds up next to the first two Frankensteins. Ygor is cunning, terrifying, tragic, and not-so-secretly hilarious. And Bela Lugosi brought him to life with a ferocity that still jumps off the screen more than 85 years later. 

The Reason Why Karloff Stopped Playing The Monster

Son of Frankenstein (1939) was Boris Karloff's swan song as the Frankenstein monster. 

Antonia Carlotta of the Laemmle family posted a video the reasons why.

Summary: 

Boris Karloff played Frankenstein's Monster in three Universal films: Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and Son of Frankenstein, becoming one of cinema's most iconic figures. His performance gave the creature soul - part horror, part heartbreak. But after Son of Frankenstein, Karloff never played the Monster again. Why?

Let's go behind the scenes with Karloff, producers Carl Laemmle and Junior Laemmle, make up artist Jack Pierce, directors James Whale and Rowland Lee, and all the other major players that contributed to Karloff's decision to walk away.

I'm Antonia Carlotta and this is Universally Me, the channel for all things Universal and classic horror. My family started Universal Studios, and they made the Universal Monsters, including Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein.

Godzilla's Legendary Comeback

Above, the Godzilla statue at Toho Studios in Setagaya. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is remarkable that Godzilla is as popular, if not more so, than ever these days.

This can be attributed to the Legendary Pictures series of movies and of Toho's recent movies, one of which won an Academy Award for Best Special Effects.

MSN has posted an article on Godzilla's legendary (a pun?) comeback.

It begins with:

At one time, the Godzilla franchise seemed like outdated science fiction with limited future cinematic prospects. Not only did Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse change those perceptions, but Toho’s Godzilla Minus One proved the 50-meter-tall radioactive dinosaur could deliver an Oscar-worthy performance. Toho recently announced a sequel to Minus One, demonstrating that an “old, outdated” subgenre can still score big - a $116 million global gross on a $15 million budget - in international theaters. 

To read more, go here. 

10 Greatest Horror Movies of the Past 40 Years

Above, Godzilla Minus One (2023) made the list.

Ever since I was a kid, I have enjoyed horror movies. You can thank my mom in particular for this. She was also fond of horror movies.

That aside, what are the 10 greatest horror movies to come out of Hollywood and elsewhere (like Japan, for instance) during the past 40 years?

Collider answers that question in a new article.

They start it off with:

If you limit things to the past 40 years, when talking about great horror movies, there are inevitably a whole host of titles that just get automatically disqualified, so RIP to those. Psycho, Alien, The Shining, two versions of Nosferatu, Godzilla (1954), and all the original Universal Monster movies… sorry, y’all. This isn't your time to shine. Go collect some more cobwebs (not necessarily a bad thing, since cobwebs are spooky).

But then focusing on the past 40 years, so everything released post-1985? There are a bunch of iconic titles, and some of them are just old enough to be considered classics (namely, the ones that are more than 25 or 30 years old). And the others will likely be classics, once enough time has passed for them to be defined as such, but either way, all of these are great, and well worth watching if you’re feeling a craving for something scary, be it because it’s Halloween or otherwise.

To see what they consider the greatest horror movies of the past 40 years, go here.

Walk The Streets of Western TV History At Old Tucson

Above, an Old Tucson hotel and saloon set. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the places I've always wanted to see was Old Tucson in Arizona.

Old Tucson is a studio near the city of Tucson, Arizona and Saguaro National Park. Hundreds of movies and television westerns were filmed there. Movies included Rio Bravo, El Dorado, McLintock! and others.

I got my chance two years ago when I was in Tombstone, Arizona. From there, I headed to Old Tucson and spend a good part of a day wandering it.

RV Travel has an article on Old Tucson and it begins with:

Growing up, I always wanted a horse. My wish probably stemmed from the popular television shows of the 1950s and ’60s: Westerns.

My sisters and I sat transfixed while watching Roy Rogers, Zorro, The Lone Ranger, and Bonanza. If the same is true for you, it’s time to saddle up! Old Tucson awaits your visit.

What is Old Tucson?

Old Tucson is a time capsule of past Western-themed television shows and movies. Built as a Hollywood set in 1939, it later opened to the public as a Western-themed park.

Columbia Pictures built a replica of 1860s-era Tucson in 1939 for the feature film, Arizona. Construction crews reportedly erected more than 50 buildings for the movie in just a few weeks.

After more movies and TV shows used Old Tucson through the 1940s and 1950s, the site was refurbished and opened as a theme park in 1960.

Over the decades, Hollywood kept coming back. Old Tucson has been a backdrop for hundreds of film and TV productions. Included in this list are movies like Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Rio Bravo, and El Dorado. Old Tucson also provided the setting for television hits like The High Chaparral and Little House on the Prairie.

To read more, go here. 

Collider: "10 Greatest Monster Movies of the Last 25 Years"

Above, Cloverfield was one of the last movies I took my late mother to see.

Alright, monster fans. There have been many monster movie in the theaters (and on cable, satellite home video) over the past 25 years. 

Some are lauded as near-masterpieces and some derided as steaming piles of excrement. 

Collider has posted what they consider to be the "10 Greatest Monster Movies of the Last 25 Years, Ranked".

They begin with:

Some will hear the term "monster movie" and immediately think of a black and white King Kong, where the ape scales the side of the Empire State Building, or Godzilla, where the kaiju rises from the ocean. Although those iconic creatures are some of the most well-known examples, countless movies in the modern age use monsters as the star attraction. Industry-leading filmmakers are using original monster creations to explore topics such as governmental oppression and the brutality of war.

From horror to sci-fi to family movies, monsters are running all over modern films, snatching box office victories and proving there’s still life left in the genre. The following films are the greatest monster movies of the last 25 years, ranked by their use of monsters big and small and their lasting appeal to moviegoers. It’s important to note that the concept of monsters is open for interpretation, so even though the list could include vampires, werewolves, or personal injury lawyers, this list will stick to creatures that defy easy categorization.

For those of you who are Godzilla fans, Godzilla Minus One made the list. 

To see the 10 greatest monster movies list, go here.

Ed Faulkner, Longtime John Wayne Co-Star, Dies At 93

Above, Ed Faulkner in Chisum (1970).

The name Ed Faulkner may not conjure up any recollections, but his face is quite familiar to fans of John Wayne and Elvis Presley movies.

The  Daily Beast reported:

Actor Edward Faulkner, who appeared in six films with John Wayne and two with Elvis Presley, has died at 93 of natural causes. Faulkner died Aug. 26 at a health care facility in Vista, California, his daughter Leslie Wadsworth revealed to The Hollywood Reporter. The McLintock!, Rio Lobo, and The Green Berets actor had a long-standing chess rivalry with Wayne. “I occasionally let him win,” Faulkner said, who once kept a plane idled to keep from interrupting a match between the actor and Wayne. Faulkner, a 6′3″ Kentucky native, saddled up on horses in multiple TV westerns, but his debut on the silver screen came in the form of an uncredited role on the 1960 film G.I. Blues, starring Elvis Presley.

Faulkner also appeared in The Undefeated, Chisum and Hellfighters with Wayne.

To read more, go here.

Winchester 1894 In IMFDB

Above, a Winchester Model 1894 Saddle Ring Carbine. IMFDB photo.

Yesterday, I was alerted about a new (not sure how new) page for the Winchester 1894 (a.k.a. Winchester 94) rifle by the Internet Movie Firearms Database (IMFDB).

In it, it provides information on different variations of the rifle and a listing of what movies it appeared in over the years. 

The page's summary is as follows: 

The Winchester Model 1894 is a lever-action rifle developed by the famed John Moses Browning, as a follow-on to his previous Model 1892 design; it uses many of the same parts as that rifle, and could be made with few alterations to its production tooling, notably having a nearly identically-sized receiver that could be made with the same rough blanks. Despite this, it was designed to use larger, more powerful cartridges (ballistically comparable to modern intermediates, though many were sized more comparably to full-powered rounds), including the .38-55, .32-40, and the famed .30-30 WCF; to permit the cycling of these much longer cartridges in an action originally designed for pistol-caliber rounds, the Model 1894 uses a rather unique system wherein the entire bottom of the receiver hinges down when the action is cycled, granting a longer throw of the lever that permits a correspondingly-longer stroke of the bolt, allowing a much longer cartridge to be cycled in and out of the chamber.

Due to its re-use of the Model 1892's receiver size, the 1892 and 1894 can be somewhat difficult to distinguish at a glance; if the rifle isn't shown with its action open (as this allows the aforementioned pivoting receiver floor to be seen), the 1894's proportionally longer loading gate can be used for an ID, as can a pin at the bottom-front of the receiver (used to allow the receiver floor to pivot) that the 1892 lacks.

Interestingly, the Winchester 1894 appeared in such movies as 1941, Night of The Living Dead, Green Mile, The Untouchables and Brokeback Mountain.

To access the page, go here.

The Convoluted Chronology of Godzilla

Above, the GMK Godzilla suit on display in Shibuya, Tokyo in 2001. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Godzilla franchise of movies by both Toho and Legendary Pictures are basically two (or more) different monsters.

Tokyo Weekender has posted an article on the "convoluted chronology" of Godzilla. 

Here's how they start it:

Godzilla is one of the oldest film franchises in the world. (But not the “longest-running.” That title is still claimed by Japan but it belongs to a series of softcore porn movies.) In 2024, the world celebrated 70 years of the King of the Monsters smashing buildings, fighting other kaiju, and embodying the horrors of nuclear weapons. One problem with that, though. Technically, the giant dinosaurian creatures from the 33 live-action Japanese Godzilla movies are not always the same giant dinosaurian creature, meaning that there isn’t one kaiju that’s been continuously appearing in cinemas for more than seven decades now. Confused? Let us explain.

 To read more, go here.